Choi Su-ho “6th place ‘Current King of Singers 2’ The most difficult ever… I won‘t miss pansori either” [DA:Interview②]
Trot singer Choi Su-ho (22), who started out as a traditional Korean musician, shared his thoughts on MBN’s ‘Active King of Singers 2’.
In an interview with Donga.com held at a cafe in Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 4th, Choi Su-ho looked back on his time on ‘Active King of Singers 2’ and confessed, “It was the most difficult I‘ve ever had. It was harder than the college entrance exams”, and “I prepared for it thinking it would be similar to ‘Mr. Trot 2’, but it felt so different that it was colorless”.
Choi Su-ho said, “When I was on ‘Mr. Trot 2’, I wasn‘t a singer and I wasn’t a singer, so it wasn‘t burdensome, but when I was on ‘Current King of Singers 2’, I had the title of current singer, and I was with such great seniors, and since it was my second challenge, I worried a lot about what to do next if I got eliminated, and I was really stressed out. That’s why I couldn‘t figure out what to do in the beginning and wandered around a lot. The masters also gave me a lot of good advice(?) in the beginning, which hurt me a lot,” he said with a laugh.
He said, “I’m really satisfied that I made it into the TOP7. He said, ”I feel very lucky to have made it to the TOP7 twice,“ and ”I am grateful to the fans. At the same time, I feel sorry. There must have been activities where we could communicate, but I had to go on a competition and vote and wait for the album, so it must have been difficult. I hope this album will be a great strength to the fans.“
Choi Suho, who has grown step by step through three competitions, is happy for his family, but he said his father was especially happy. It is because his son achieved the dream he could not. Choi Suho‘s father applied with him during the ‘National Sports Festival of Trot,’ but he was eliminated in the preliminary round.
Choi Suho said, ”My father was truly sad when he was eliminated from the ‘National Sports Festival of Trot.’. I told him, ’I‘ll work hard for my dad’s share,‘“ he said. ”My father never said anything, but I think he used to be a singer. He’s really good at singing. I heard he tried to participate in the ‘University Song Festival’ but it fell through because of military service.“ Choi Soo-ho confessed that he was tricked by his parents (?) into following the path of pansori. He said, ”I loved singing ever since I was little. I was so good at writing Korean lyrics for songs,“ and ”There were folk songs as after-school activities, but it was a difficult genre for a young child like me. I threw a tantrum for about three months and didn‘t go. Then, when I was in the third grade of elementary school, I visited my grandmother in Goheung and sang folk songs for her. She was so happy and even gave me a lot of money. “I got interested in it when I saw my favorite grandmother,” he recalled.
Choi Su-ho took the elite course in traditional Korean music and turned into a popular singer starting with the ‘National Trot Competition’. He said, “I was so happy to hold the mic and sing in front of people. Seeing them watch my stage and cheer me on made me think, ‘Is this the path for me?’. Thinking back on the moment when I appeared on the first performance of the ‘Mr. Trot’ national tour concert and the cheers from the audience erupted, I still get goosebumps. It felt like I’d been hit. I thought, ‘I want to be a singer and perform on stage until I die.’.”
He continued, “I liked pansori so much that there was a time when I worried, ‘Can I do both?’. I did it because I wanted to try it out since I was young. The vocalization is different, but the scale is similar, and the emotional expression and technique of pansori were a big help. Trot is also relatively difficult to sing, but pansori has deeper and more difficult emotions, so I think it was easier to empathize with trot,” he added.
He emphasized that he does not think his current path is unrelated to pansori or has deviated from it. Choi Su-ho said, “I will not miss pansori,” and “I am still learning pansori. Isn’t it the pride of the Republic of Korea? However, after performing pansori, my throat is not in good condition for a day or two, so I don’t sing for a few days before something big happens. Being on and off is my strong point,” he said. He said that he listens to various genres of music, including not only pansori and trot, but also musicals and hip-hop, and “I’ve been listening to G-Dragon’s ‘TOO BAD (feat. Anderson .Paak)’ a lot recently. He mentioned that he is a huge fan of Big Bang.
He said that he has never thought about becoming an idol. Choi Suho said with a laugh, “I’ve always thought that I was an amateur. I thought that idols had to be really good-looking, so the barrier to entry was high for me.”
Choi Suho, who came in 6th place on ‘Current King of Singers 2’, is preparing for the ‘Current King of Singers’ nationwide tour and ‘King of Singers 2’. Starting with the performance at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul from the 18th to the 20th, he will meet local fans in Busan, Daegu, Changwon, Jeonju, Daejeon, and Anyang.
When asked about his thoughts on the nationwide tour, Choi Suho said, “I have to captivate everyone I meet,” and added, “I want to show off my cool side. I like broadcasting, but I really, really love concerts. I feel alive when I sing on stage. I want to do a national tour soon. And I really, really want to have a solo concert later,” he said. He then chose Olympic Hall in Olympic Park as his dream concert venue, saying, “I want to become a singer who can fill Olympic Hall alone.”
Born in Japan and spent his elementary school years in Japan, Choi Suho also showed extraordinary confidence in the Korea-Japan music competition, “Korea-Japan King of Singers 2.” He said, “I’m not good at studying, so kanji is difficult for me, but I can have everyday conversations. I think I’ll shine in “Korea-Japan King of Singers 2.” “I want to be active in Japan too. I have Japanese fans. It’s so amazing and curious that people like me even though I’m a singer from a different country. I want to meet them and talk with them.” He said, ”I want to be active in many places, not just in Japan.“
Meanwhile, Choi Su-ho‘s first mini-album, ‘ONE’, which successfully completed ‘King of Singers 2’, will be released through various music sites at 6 PM on the 5th. The new album contains a total of 6 songs with various charms, including the title song ‘Going All the Way’.
Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com reporter shine2562@donga.com
Photo courtesy of Pogo Entertainment
This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.
